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Irish Specimen Fish Committee Annual Report 2002 Irish Specimen Fish Committee Annual Report 2002 Contents Chairmans Review Chairmans Review ................................................................................................................................2 Introduction, New Records .................................................................................................................. 3 2002 was another great year for specimen angling with many notable fish being Special Awards Categories taken. The expansion of interest and activity centring on Bluefin Tuna continued 10 Species Award .............................................................................................................................. 6 unabated in 2002. This was reflected by an increase in the number of specimen 50 Specimens Award ........................................................................................................................ 6 Bluefin taken compared to 2001 but the record remained intact. As flagged in 10 Specimens Award ........................................................................................................................ 6 last years report the ISFC has amended its rules governing angling for big game Dr. A.E.J. Went Award ...................................................................................................................... 7 fish for the 2003 season onwards. The amendment is incorporated into Rule No. The Ministers Award ........................................................................................................................ 7 2 governing “fair angling”. On a broader front, fair angling covers all legitimate Specimen Fish Claims ratified in 2002 methods of angling (for all species) and the Committee can only accept claims Freshwater Fish Listings 2002 from anglers where fish have been captured within the letter of the angling laws Coarse Fish and Pike and bye laws. Bream .......................................................................................................................................... 8 Carp .............................................................................................................................................. 8 Dace, Eel .................................................................................................................................... 10 Eight new records were established in 2002. This is the greatest number of records broken in any one Perch, Pike (Lake) ........................................................................................................................12 year in recent times. Records broken included those for infrequently recorded species – bluemouth Pike (River) ................................................................................................................................13 and electric ray – and the dab record also went by the board. New records were also established for Roach ..........................................................................................................................................14 roach, lake pike, roach/bream hybrid, coalfish and spurdog. Other notable fish included a new local Roach/Bream Hybrid .................................................................................................................. 14 record brown trout for Lough Corrib and a specimen river pike taken on fly. It will be extremely Rudd/Bream Hybrid .................................................................................................................. 16 interesting to monitor specimen and record fish catches in the future given that global warming with Tench ..........................................................................................................................................16 associated rising temperature may already be impacting on the availability of “exotic” fish species Game Fish in our coastal waters and on the growth and ultimately specimen weights of coarse fish in fresh water. Salmon..........................................................................................................................................17 Targeted research into the impacts of warming on fish species will be required over the coming years. Brown Trout (Lake), Brown Trout (River) ................................................................................18 Sea Trout .................................................................................................................................... 19 Anglers should be aware of an important piece of European legislation - The Water Framework Marine Fish Listings 2002 Directive - introduced in December 2000. This Directive, amongst other things, aims to prevent any Bass, Bluemouth ..........................................................................................................................20 further deterioration in water quality and to protect and conserve aquatic ecosystems. It follows that Coalfish ........................................................................................................................................21 there will be very positive benefits for fish and ultimately for angling. The Directive covers all Cod ............................................................................................................................................ 22 surface water, groundwater, estuaries and inshore coastal areas. Data will be required on the Conger Eel....................................................................................................................................23 Dab, Spur Dogfish ......................................................................................................................24 abundance and distribution of fish species and the validated records of the Irish Specimen Fish Greater Spotted Dogfish, Lesser Spotted Dogfish, Flounder ......................................................26 Committee, which extend back for almost 50 years, will provide important baseline and historical Garfish, Grey Gurnard..................................................................................................................27 information on the variety and distribution of fish in Irish waters. Red Gurnard ................................................................................................................................28 Tub Gurnard, Hake, John Dory....................................................................................................29 Many Irish lakes and rivers contain unique assemblages of plants and animals and it is incumbent on Ling, Monkfish............................................................................................................................ 30 anglers to protect these natural biological communities. I am appealing to anglers to continue to Grey Mullet, Plaice, Pollock ........................................................................................................31 prevent fish species being relocated to waters in which they do not already occur; likewise non- Pouting..........................................................................................................................................32 native fish must not be introduced. These illegal activities have the potential to destroy aquatic Blonde Ray, Painted Ray ............................................................................................................ 33 communities which have existed in our waters since the last Ice Age 10,000+ years ago. Many of Sting Ray, Undulate Ray, Homelyn Ray, Electric Ray .............................................................. 34 these biological assemblages are unique to Ireland and some are peculiar to the waters in which this Twaite Shad, Blue Shark ............................................................................................................ 35 occur. Anglers will be invited to participate in various ways towards the implementation of the new Three Bearded Rockling, Tope, Torsk, Bluefin Tuna ................................................................ 36 Directive and I would urge you to do so through your Fisheries Boards and local clubs and Turbot, Ballan Wrasse ................................................................................................................ 37 associations. Cuckoo Wrasse .......................................................................................................................... 38 Special Notices The ISFC has worked closely with Bord Failte for many years and I am delighted that Bord Failte Establishing a new specimen fish category ....................................................................................39 Important points regarding claims ..................................................................................................39 has recently agreed to substantially increase its annual grant to ISFC. However, the Committee is Big game fish ................................................................................................................................ 40 facing a difficult future because of the perilous state of our finances. We are facing a situation where Important points about weighing of fish ........................................................................................41 we may have to curtail some of our activities. New initiatives to further angling and collect valuable List of Regional